A WayHaught first date
by LegacyMermaid
Summary: Takes place the morning after Waverly gets shot. She takes it upon herself to ask Nicole on a real date. Chapter ONE
1. Chapter 1

Waverly woke up the next morning, rolled over onto her right side and gasped at the searing pain that traveled across her chest; a reminder that yesterday's events weren't a dream, she had been shot! She locked herself in the bathroom and peeled off the bandage, revealing the deep gash that Dolls had called "just a graze," and bruising that spread all the way down her right side. She bit her lip as she replaced the bandage and headed downstairs for breakfast.

She poured herself a bowl of corn flakes and sat down opposite Willa, who was daintily eating an omelet, and next to Wynonna, who was drinking from a coffee cup which, Waverly had no doubt, was spiked with whiskey. Waverly sat there scooping cereal with her spoon then letting it drop back into the bowl.

"You really should eat something, Waverly, you need to nourish your body so it can heal," Will smiled at Waverly, and looked at Wynonna.

"Yeah, Waves, eat up." Wynonna drained her coffee cup and went to the coffee pot to refill it.

"I'm not that hungry," Waverly said quietly.

"Well, you still need to eat something." Willa stood and placed her dishes in the sink.

"I think I'm gonna go back to bed." Waverly rose quickly and, not bothering to clear her place at the table, rushed up the stairs, closed her bedroom door and fell back onto her bed. Suddenly, she felt like the room was starting to spin; she placed her left forearm over her eyes and breathed as deeply as her fresh wound would permit. _Why does everyone feel the need to tell me what to do?_ she thought. But then she remembered, there's one person who would never ask Waverly to be someone she's not: Officer Nicole Haught. Waverly shot up off her bed and got dressed quickly.

"Where the hell are you going?" she heard Wynonna call, but didn't bother to answer as she rushed to her Jeep and sped off toward downtown Purgatory.

She parked just outside the Ghost River County Municipal Offices, placed her hand on the car door handle, and froze. She realized she hadn't even thought of what she was going to say to Nicole once she found her. Just as Waverly had changed her mind and reached down to turn the key, there was a knock on her car window. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed, but then butterflies filled her stomach when she saw it was Nicole. As upset as Waverly had been up to this point, it all seemed to melt away when Nicole smiled at her, revealing perfect dimples, and somehow making her deep brown eyes even more inviting.

"Are you alright?" Nicole removed her Stetson.

Waverly realized she must have been staring into Nicole's eyes for too long. She shook her head, and stepped out of the car. "Ummm yeah, I'm fine, just came by to see if the latest history book I ordered has been delivered to my P.O. box yet.." Waverly cringed, _what a lame excuse_. She began to look around, to see if anyone was watching this awkward interaction, feeling the intense emotion radiating from her body.

Nicole obviously caught onto Waverly's wariness and said simply, "well, I don't want to keep you from learning all you can about things that have been. Have a nice day." She gave another smile, replaced her hat and turned to go.

"Wait!" Waverly blurted. She rushed up to Nicole, who had stopped and turned to face her. "I like dinner, it's probably my favorite meal of the day. Even though, science apparently says that breakfast is actually the most _important_ meal of the day, I still like dinner more. Do you like dinner? You seem like the kind of person who would like dinner…"

"Yeah, dinner's my favorite, too," Nicole said, a surprised but amused look on her face.

"Really? Awesome! If you're ever hungry some time, I'll probably be hungry, too. So maybe we could be hungry together…?" Once more, Waverly cringed at the words coming from her mouth.

Nicole smiled, "Waverly Earp, are you asking me on a real date?"

Waverly let out a big sigh, "well, I was trying to, but I'm not really used to this sort of thing. But I figured we should try it out, ya know, instead of just sneaking around in Nedley's office."

Nicole let out a small laugh, "well, I think you did just fine. Did you have any details in mind, or do you want to go right now?"

Once again aware that they were standing in the middle of a public sidewalk, Waverly froze.

Quickly, Nicole added, "I hear Charlotte's Steakhouse in Starton County is delicious."

"That's two counties away!" Waverly looked at Nicole, who was simply smiling, knowingly; she understood that this was all new for Waverly, and she would never rush her. "Yeah, that sounds great," Waverly felt her face become warmer as she blushed.

"Ok, well what time should I pick you up, then?" Nicole hooked her thumbs on the front of her belt.

"Who says I shouldn't pick you up?"

"Waverly, we are not showing up at the fanciest restaurant for miles in this red Jeep!"

Waverly looked at her dirty Jeep, "oh yeah, I guess you're right. Well, how about six; Wy and Willa… uh… Wy will, uh, be going to the gun range around that time."

"Sounds good, see you then." Once again, Waverly was grateful that Nicole hadn't been offended by her clear desire for privacy.

Waverly climbed back into the Jeep, "Have a good day, Officer Haught." She pinched the air in front of her forehead and nodded her head, tipping her invisible Stetson at Nicole. As she drove off down the street, Waverly looked in her rearview mirror and watched Nicole smiling and shaking her head.

Waverly spent that afternoon going through her entire closet, looking for the perfect outfit.

"Got a hot date tonight, or something?" Wynonna asked as she walked by and saw the clothes strewn all over Waverly's room.

Waverly shot up, ran to the doorway. "Huh? What do you mean a Haught date? Can't a girl just go through her clothes every once in a while?"

"Geeze, Waves, I was just teasing. You can't be getting ready for a date; Champ's the most eligible douche in town, and you already kicked his ass to the curb." Wynonna made kicked the air as she continued past Waverly's door.

Waverly closed her door and turned to look at the mess she had made. Then she saw it, the perfect outfit: a gold knee-length, form-fitting scoop-neck dress. She ran to it, picked it up, and laid it on her bed. She then turned back to her closet and grabbed a pair of shiny black heels, and diamond stud earrings.

That night, after she saw her big sisters out, Waverly was not feeling left out, as she usually did, but felt excited and nervous: she was going on a real date with Nicole! She had never been this nervous about a date before, and it wasn't because Nicole was a girl, it was because Nicole cared about Waverly the way no one had ever cared about her before; Nicole saw her when Waverly felt invisible; Waverly had never felt this deep of a connection with anyone before.

By the time six o'clock came, Waverly had been dressed and ready for over thirty minutes; she was just sitting by the window waiting, watching for headlights in the driveway. When she finally saw them, she rushed to the bathroom for one last look and jumped when she heard a knock on the door.

When she opened the door, Waverly's breath was taken away by what she saw: one of Purgatory's finest, in a little black dress and dark red heels, with her red hair framing her face in perfect loose curls that touched her shoulders. Both women just stood there, looking at each other with smiles on their faces, for what seemed like blissful eternity.

Finally, Nicole broke the silence, "wow, Waverly, you look amazing!"

"Look at _you!_ Officer Nicole Haught, out of uniform, in a little black dress; it's like seeing a dog walk on two legs!" Waverly instantly regretted the words that had just left her lips, "I mean…"

Nicole laughed, "it's okay, Wave, I get it."

"You're just the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!" Embarrassed by her own frankness, Waverly looked at the ground.

This time, Nicole stepped forward and hooked a finger under Waverly's chin, guiding it up so their eyes met, "clearly you've never looked in the mirror." Nicole smiled her contagious smile and looked at Waverly's lips.

Waverly felt as though their lips were magnets; the force pulling them together inescapable. When their lips touched, a warm, comforting sensation ran all the way down Waverly's body. Nicole late her hand run down Waverly's arm, causing Waverly to shiver with pleasure.

"Are you cold?" Nicole asked.

"Far from it." Waverly went in for another kiss.

When their lips parted, they stood, smiling, with their foreheads together. "We better get going, Waverly, I made a reservation for six-thirty."

"Oh, right, dinner. Yeah, of course, definitely. Let's go eat!" Waverly turned to close and lock the front door, and by the time she turned around, Nicole was already at her "civilian car," a black sedan, holding the passenger door open, smiling. Even this small gesture meant the world to Waverly; no man she'd dated in Purgatory had ever held the car door open for her. After Nicole closed the door, and made her way to the driver's side, Waverly took a deep breath to try and calm herself down. But once the car door opened, she was a bundle of nerves once more.


	2. Chapter 2

When Nicole closed her car door, she fastened her seatbelt, looked over at Waverly and said, "remember: click it or ticket." She smiled and winked and started the car. When she did, "Cherry Bomb" by The Runaways came on through the speakers.

Obviously embarrassed, Nicole reached over to turn the stereo off, but Waverly stopped her, turning it up louder than before, "I frickin' love this song!" The ride to the restaurant wasn't filled with awkward tension, as Waverly had dreaded, but with smiles, laughter, and lots of bad singing.

When they finally reached their destination, Waverly was feeling much more comfortable. As they neared the front door to the restaurant, Waverly sped up and held it open for Nicole. They made their way past waiting patrons to the hostess. "We have a six thirty reservation: Haught for two," said Nicole.

The hostess looked at her paper, "yes, right this way, ladies," she said as she picked up two menus and led the pair through the maze of the restaurant.

As they walked, Waverly couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable, "umm I think we're a bit overdressed here, Nicole." she whispered.

Nicole just smiled, "that just means we're the best looking couple in this place." Waverly's heart fluttered at the thought of the two of them being "a couple."

Their waiter arrived shortly after they sat down, "can I get you anything to drink tonight?"

"Water. Just water. That's all for me, thanks." Waverly already felt light-headed and drunk from the emotions and nerves she was feeling; she didn't need anything else in her system that might cause her to embarrass herself further.

"Just water for me, too." Nicole said. The waiter nodded and walked away.

As Waverly tried to focus on the very extensive menu, she glanced up and saw Nicole staring at her, grinning. "What? What is it!?" Waverly couldn't believe she had already embarrassed herself, before they even began the awkward first date small talk.

"It's nothing, you're just cute when you're concentrating on reading." Nicole opened her menu and looked down. Waverly couldn't tell if the feeling in her stomach was from butterflies or hunger; she'd been so nervous all day that she forgot to eat lunch.

After a few minutes, Nicole broke the silence, "so, do you know what you're gonna get?"

Waverly went with her knee-jerk first date response: "oh, probably just a Caesar salad."

Nicole rolled her eyes and laughed, "Oh come on, Waverly! Look at all those delicious steak dinners! What about the roasted chicken breast? You can get whatever you want. Really." She tapped the top of Waverly's menu, encouraging her to continue reading.

With a shy grin, Waverly went back to reading, "well, the filet mignon with blue cheese crumble looks good."

"Oooh, good choice! Now, the real decision comes in what side you want to get."

Waverly hadn't even noticed the fine print at the top of the steak section that said "all steak dinners come with your option of a side: garlic mashed potatoes, homemade steak fries, soup, or salad."

As they saw their waiter approach, Nicole whispered, "remember, Wave, whatever you want."

"So, have you decided on what you'd like?" the waiter asked cheerfully.

Waverly was relieved that Nicole volunteered her order first. "Can I get the pork chop with roasted potatoes?"

"And for you, miss?"

Waverly took a big breath, "I'll have the filet mignon with bleu cheese crumble, cooked medium rare, with the side of steak fries." She looked over and saw Nicole smiling, closed her menu and handed it to the waiter; Nicole did the same. When the waiter had walked away, Waverly suddenly felt very vulnerable. Not wanting to give Nicole a chance to ask a question that Waverly couldn't answer, she blurted out, "so why are you here, anyway? I mean, why Purgatory? You're really smart, and you seem ambitious; so why would you choose to come to this little town?"

It was clear that Nicole had been expecting this question. "Well, I tried to be a big city cop, but, you know, law enforcement is such a male-dominated occupation, I couldn't really find a place there. So I decided to start looking in smaller towns; get some experience and build up my skills and resume before re-applying at metro. Turns out Purgatory was looking for a deputy, so I applied and got the job. Not really a glamorous or interesting story, I'm afraid," she sighed. "But what about you?" Waverly was sure Nicole was about to ask her why she's stayed in Purgatory her whole life; why she put up with Champ for so long. "You're probably one of the smartest people I have ever met; you have so much schooling under your belt; if you could do anything in the world, what would it be?"

Waverly sat there for a moment, stunned that anyone could be interested in anything about her other than her last name. "Well, I would love to travel, you know? I've learned so much about so many different places, I would love to actually go there and see and experience the things I have learned about!"

Their food came, and Waverly could barely hold back the sigh of satisfaction from tasting the most delicious steak she had ever had. By the time they had eaten their fill, Waverly no longer felt nervous; in fact, she had never felt more free to be herself. When the bill came, Nicole snatched it up faster than Waverly, "ok, but I am paying for the ice cream we are about to go get."

Nicole raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I'm fine with that. Shall we?" She rose and followed Waverly out of the restaurant. They walked a few blocks to Moo-Moo's Ice Cream Shop.

"I'll get a scoop of cookie dough on a sugar cone." said Waverly.

"I'll get a scoop of Rocky Road in a wafer cone." Nicole ordered next.

They sat on a bench outside the shop eating their ice cream and getting to know each other. Waverly took her last bite and got up to go back to the car.

"Hey, Waves, you've got a little something…" Nicole smiled and ran her thumb along the bottom of Waverly's lower lip to remove the remnants of vanilla ice cream.

"Thanks." said Waverly, a bit embarrassed, and they turned to go. As they made their way down the sidewalk, Waverly slowly slid her left hand into Nicole's right and intertwined their fingers. She smiled big; their hands felt like they belonged together. Waverly was no longer on constant watch for who might be seeing them together like this.

After another car karaoke session on the way back to the homestead, Nicole walked Waverly back to the front door. "Well, I guess this is goodnight, then." said Nicole. As she stepped forward for one last kiss, she placed her left hand on Waverly's waist.

That sharp pain ran up Waverly's right side; she gasped sharply and stepped back.

"Are you ok?!" Nicole also stepped back, with a concerned look on her face.

Waverly took a few moments to calm herself down. "Yeah, I just… I got shot yesterday." She was in too much shock to think of a more tactful way to tell Nicole.

"Are you serious, Waverly?!" Nicole was somehow yelling and whispering at the same time.

"I'm fine, really, Dolls says it was just a graze."

"Fucking Dolls, of course. I should have known he had something to do with it. I have never trusted him, Wave, you know that! He's sketchy as hell! How did this happen?!"

"Well, I don't really know that much, actually, but he said that someone was trying to assassinate him; he took a picture of himself off the bodies of one of the guys."

Nicole rubbed her forehead as she paced the front porch.

Waverly stopped her and place her hands on either side of Nicole's face, "hey, I'm fine, I'll heal."  
She pulled Nicole in for a kiss. "And besides, now I'll have a badass scar." Waverly smiled and kissed Nicole once more.

Nicole took a deep breath and smiled, "yeah, chicks with scars are pretty sexy."

"Oh really?" Waverly's smiled widened as she wrapped her arms around Nicole's neck.

Nicole carefully placed her hands on Waverly's hips and pulled her in close for one last, long goodnight kiss.

After Waverly closed the door behind her, the light came on. Sitting on the couch was Wynonna. She rose and slowly walked toward Waverly, "so, you and Officer Haught, huh?"

Waverly was having a hard time deciphering Wynonna's reaction. "Listen, Wy… Ouch!" Wynonna had punched her in the left arm.

"Dude! Good for you!" Wynonna smiled and wrapped Waverly in a big hug. Waverly barely noticed the pain in her side this time; she just smiled, as tears of happiness started running down her cheeks.


End file.
